1
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
every year, we make up a basket of food at Thanksgiving for a poor family in the neighborhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
land that is too poor for farming
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in scarce
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
a poor crop because of the drought this year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard
a pretty poor musician, even for a garage band
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in terrible
of low quality
the poor workmanship of the goods from that store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
aw, the poor kitten hurt its paw
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
poor quality
a poor judgment
an unwise judgment
a lousy judgment
a questionable judgment
a horrible judgment
an improper judgment
a poor performance
a weak performance
an unacceptable performance
a negative performance
an inadequate performance
a horrendous performance
a poor condition
a deteriorated condition
a shabby condition
a sub-par condition
a shoddy condition
a pitiful condition
poor nutrition
unbalanced nutrition
improper nutrition
deficient nutrition
unhealthy nutrition
insufficient nutrition
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of poor
Julius Randle, who was quickly earning the ‘Playoff Julius’ moniker, had his first poor performance of the postseason, scoring just six points on 2-of-11 shooting.
—
Matias Grez, CNN Money, 23 May 2025
Cuts to the social-safety net protecting poor and elder populations are tough to defend, and Democrats are already highlighting how this measure will disproportionately benefit the richest Americans.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 22 May 2025
Whether due to poor performance, legal concerns or other issues, the project was iced, with only one Cheetah prototype ever being built.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 22 May 2025
If countries implement these changes, that will benefit people in rich countries as well as poor ones.
—Nicole Hassoun, The Conversation, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Matias Grez, CNN Money, 23 May 2025
Cuts to the social-safety net protecting poor and elder populations are tough to defend, and Democrats are already highlighting how this measure will disproportionately benefit the richest Americans.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 22 May 2025
Whether due to poor performance, legal concerns or other issues, the project was iced, with only one Cheetah prototype ever being built.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 22 May 2025
If countries implement these changes, that will benefit people in rich countries as well as poor ones.
—Nicole Hassoun, The Conversation, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for poor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poor
Adjective
-
Eagerly drinking the Kool-Aid is Simone DeWitt (Alcock), a formerly impoverished but deeply ambitious upstart from Buffalo who gets a taste of the lifestyle of the rich and famous as Michaela's uppity assistant.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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That could mean removing spending from public school meal programs for impoverished children, removing access to health care to people with developmental disabilities, or cutting Social Security payments to even the deficit.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
A lot of people have this idea of the north as being cold and desolate, and maybe people, once upon a time, lived up there, but don't anymore.—
Dana Feldman,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
-
The Memphis rapper began the show with dramatics, rising on a giant platform with her back to the audience as a screen behind her projected the image of a desolate street.—
John Lonsdale,
Rolling Stone,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
These alliances are particularly beneficial for smaller organizations that stand to gain from pooled resources or those in regions where talent is scarce but demand for specialized staff is high.—
Randy Wong,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
-
Ahead of Pink Elephant, the Montreal collective known for its insistent politics and uplifting lyricism was scarce and guarded in its direct communications.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
The first project yields too many false positives, introducing an unacceptable amount of friction into the consumer experience.—
Shazia Manus,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
-
But Humane Society officials insist any cut over $1 million is unacceptable and will prompt the nonprofit to stop providing service to the city.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
Djokovic knew he’d be seeded to play one of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev or Taylor Fritz in the quarters, and in the end landed Zverev, which isn’t a terrible outcome, but would leave him with a possible Sinner-Alcaraz double bill in the semifinals and final to lift the trophy.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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One night the fish was very overcooked and covered with a terrible sauce.—
Sheah Rarback,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
But the rates were pitiful: $9.87 for a 13-mile trip, $19.97 for a 25-mile trip and so on.—
Eli Tan,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
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Israel’s performance in climate mitigation, moving to renewable energies, is pitiful — just 12% when some countries are 70%.—
JTA Staff Report,
Sun Sentinel,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, countless others who chased hot tips and quick wins are broke, both financially and emotionally.—
Shane Enete,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
-
Image Set in Brooklyn in the summer of 2022, the action takes place in the apartment of Emmy, a playwright freshly cognizant of the danger of being too broke to afford health insurance.—
Laura Collins-Hughes,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In the early 1900s, Jennie Butchart transformed the scarred land of a barren limestone quarry into a lush retreat, proving nature’s resilience.—
Cheryl Russell,
Oc Register,
11 May 2025
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The inky ocean depths are often assumed to be barren, but this is a myth, said Adrian Glover, a deep-sea ocean scientist at the UK’s Natural History Museum.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poor. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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